People on the move

This update provides the latest in senior appointments, promotions, retirements, company news and more across the offshore energy industry.

Compiled by Ariana Hurtado, Editor and Director of Special Reports


 

People

Shelf Drilling has named Greg O’Brien CEO, David Mullen executive chairman and Ernie Danner lead independent director.

EnerMech CEO Charles ‘Chuck’ Davison Jr. joined the company in April. In two newly created roles, Jose Xavier has joined the leadership team as chief transformation officer and Alison Hazell has been promoted to chief marketing officer this month. Additional promotions include Paul Kearney to general counsel and Daniel McCarthy to vice president global estimating and proposals. All four report directly to the CEO. Moreover, the company has welcomed Tyson de Souza as chief accounting officer and group financial controller. Keith Thomson has been promoted to global operational excellence director, and Kenny Anderson has moved to a new role as global financial planning and analysis director.

Walt Bruns has been appointed CFO and executive director of Sasol Ltd., a global chemicals and energy company, effective Sept. 1. Bruns is currently CFO of Sasol Southern Africa including Energy and Chemicals. Read more. 

Company news

Ramboll has acquired K2 Management, a global consultancy company specializing in wind and solar energy. 

Spliethoff and BigLift will open a new office in Copenhagen this month. With the new Denmark office, the companies say major players in the oil, gas and wind sectors will have access to a range of Spliethoff and BigLift vessels for future transportation requirements.

Crowley will be responsible for redeveloping and operating the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal, which celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking this month. This project involves transforming a former oil- and coal-fired power plant into Massachusetts’ second wind port. The terminal is being built to support the construction of offshore wind farms in New England and future floating turbines in the Gulf of Maine. 

Archer has agreed to acquire an additional 10% of the shares in Iceland Drilling from its joint venture partner Kaldbakur for $2.5 million, settled in Archer limited shares, bringing Archer’s total ownership to 60%. Iceland Drilling is an international company specializing in high-temperature geothermal drilling, with offerings across renewable service segments such as deep drilling for electricity generation, wells for district heating and cooling, and wells for carbon storage. 

BIRNS has invested in a new extreme depth hydrostatic pressure testing facility. The new system includes a custom-designed pressure vessel capable of tests to 20,000 psi (1380 bar), and it features angular positioning and can simulate sinusoidal motion. The facility also allows technicians to utilize more than one testing vessel concurrently, to provide greatly increased throughput, BIRNS said.

About the Author

Ariana Hurtado

Ariana Hurtado

Editor-in-Chief

With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective. 

Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore's magazine, newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer. 

Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.

She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.

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